September 2, 2014 -- Payment recommendations in 140 characters or less? That's not likely, but the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) announced last week it's going on Twitter and blogging, too.
The notion of MedPAC getting faster and more informal with its media strategy may seem at odds with its reputation for lengthy and meticulous wordsmithing of recommendations on changes in Medicare policy.
But what MedPAC says can be a powerful way to fortify lobbying efforts in Congress, and stakeholders are eager to know what the commission has to say on many issues. That's going to get easier, said MedPAC Assistant Director Arielle Mir in an email.
"With the start of a new season of commission meetings upon us, we are proud to unveil a whole new set of ways to share the commission's work with the Congress and the world," Mir wrote. She said the organization's website, medpac.gov, has a new look and a new and more powerful search engine and includes a blog, located at www.medpac.gov/blog, which will feature MedPAC's work in a quicker and less formal format than its traditional reports to Congress.
Mir added that MedPAC will be tweeting commission news and updates using the handle @medicarepayment. The website will also feature social media tools, she said, to make it easier for people to share MedPAC publications.